Crepe-tastic – Branding the experience and little details
This morning I was ahead of schedule for a brand presentation to one of our technology clients in Westborne and I thought I would find a little coffee shop to have a quick drink before going in. I found a little place called crepes farm at the top end of Westborne. Very unassuming from the outside, but once in I was treated with a very pleasant surprise, a smile, well designed decor, menus and many little details that continued to surprise.
I ordered a green tea and got a fab yogi tea in a wicked tea pot (giraffe styled see my pic) and I couldn’t resist one of their crepes. It is nice to see a small company get things right, the way it should be, it is obvious that the couple who own and run this business truly care. All the ingredients are natural and organic, gluten free flour, and most ingredients are locally sourced from Dorset.
They create the crepes in full view and the chef was precise, clean and organised, just what i like to see in a kitchen! Plus they have free wifi, so a winner all round.
I am a big fan of specialist niche businesses who offer something different, something deeper than the coat of paint or menu selection. If you are ever in Westborne do drop in and take a look, you will be pleased you did!
Well done to a business that has only been open for a month.
I look forward to seeing their website go live soon I hope…
Read MoreCreating Brand Love
Believe it or not, us human beings are programmed to respond to emotion and we often make many important decisions based on how easily we are influenced by feelings and emotive language around us. For example, making purchases in a shop or from a website based on emotion is quite normal. Just like the age old head over heart argument, we know what we should do; the logical, sensible and often safe option, but the most successful marketers understand that successful products appeal to the heart, not the mind. Going by our emotions is usually what creates the action, and this is where the magic happens!
The RT Media Brand Love Mix and effect
If we take this philosophy and apply it to marketing, it could translate as: be inspiring, be adventurous and bold, or why bother? It’s entirely possible that if you are not inspiring or causing people to feel emotions, then your brand is just ‘existing’. Emotive branding is about taking everything you do today and creating a focus. These intentions can only be realised when everyone working for the brand is reading from the same page and embrace the brand’s emotive center.
However, there is a difference between using emotion in advertising and having an emotive brand that builds meaningful connections from the foundations of everything that you do. While using emotion in advertising can help consumers buy into your concept you will need to keep this ‘promise’ as it were so that it runs seamlessly into all aspects of the customer experience from creation all the way through to implementation.
Emotive brands engage their entire organisations so that every message induces a similar set of thoughts and feelings – consumer’s thoughts about brands are made up of groups of associations: feelings, sounds, memories and images as well as facts. Studies on how the brain processes and stores everyday messages and associations suggest that knowledge, experience and emotions are the three things called upon first to make up our representation of a brand.
If these are positive connotations, the recalls should bond the customer (and the employees) to the brand. Think of the infamous Coco-cola, ‘Holidays are coming’ adverts shown on the run up to Christmas- the resulting brand harmony means brand loyalty. The idea is to genuinely bond with your target audience through shared values, attitudes and behaviour which needs to be a long term creation not just a 30 second fling.
However, don’t lose sight of your realistic and rational benefits and values, the backbone for a ‘right decision’ is based on reason and marketing should highlight both the rational and emotional components of the brand promise to create a balance.
Ultimately, it’s the difference between indulging in meaningless marketing activity and striving for meaningful connections.
It’s a choice every brand can make.
If you would like help with creating brand love then please do get in touch. ross@rtmedia.com
Read MoreWhat elements has your brand forgotten to touch?
We had a moment last week in auditing our own brand and found that our website error pages were the standard ones setup on our server… Of course we set the team to rectify this terrible situation and create some ‘in-brand’ ones.
This means they got our brand treatment, that’s our language, tone, style and everything that is important to us here at RT. We feel they help to convey more about us, which all helps to build the context of what makes us as people and a team tick.
If you have also missed ‘branding’ your error pages perhaps we can help create them in your brand style? Here to help as always. The RT Team.
Take a look at our error page designs here:
See RT Brand Communications Agency – error pages image
If you want to see more of our error pages follow these links!
ErrorDocument 400 http://www.rtmedia.com/errors/error_400.htm
ErrorDocument 401 http://www.rtmedia.com/errors/error_401.htm
ErrorDocument 403 http://www.rtmedia.com/errors/error_403.htm
ErrorDocument 404 http://www.rtmedia.com/errors/error_404.htm
ErrorDocument 408 http://www.rtmedia.com/errors/error_408.htm
ErrorDocument 500 http://www.rtmedia.com/errors/error_500.htm
ErrorDocument 501 http://www.rtmedia.com/errors/error_501.htm
ErrorDocument 502 http://www.rtmedia.com/errors/error_502.htm
ErrorDocument 503 http://www.rtmedia.com/errors/error_503.htm
Defining a new category with a game changing name. Fibreband is launched
When C4L gave us the challenge of creating a new brand in 7 days we said “let’s go”.
With Bournemouth set to have super fast internet via fibre optic cables, our client C4L, (the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 company) were keen to make their mark. The brief to create a new brand for this new super fast broadband service was not only tight in deadline but it also has an increadibly competitive landscape. Entering into the market where big fish like BT, Virgin Media and SKY are fighting for customers, we needed to box clever.
With the in-house teams shortlist of names; BEAR, BULLET and JUCIE broadband we first knew a name could make or break this brave new business launch.
Following an evening workshop with Ross Thornley, the South’s branding expert innovator led them through a process and into a market changing name. It was his plan to create a whole new category for the internet connection. Enter FIBREBAND, no longer will users be looking for broadband providers if they wish to experience the unimaginable speeds fibre optic cables offer, they will be asking for FIBREBAND.
This ticked so many boxes from protectability, multi lingual understanding, domain name availability and word defining opportunities.
We are proud to show the value of expert innovation coupled with great design principles will ensure the best possible chances of success.
Read More5 Reasons Why Small Businesses Should Invest in Brand Research
Small businesses can often overlook the notion that their brand isn’t entirely managerially constructed. One may tightly govern brand communications, but in reality, how these are received is partially beyond our control.
Consider this – perceptions of your brand that exist within the four walls of your office may not be totally (or at all) aligned with those held by your customers. That’s right. Your brand identity not only exists on your business cards, website or brochure, but also in the mind of the consumer.
It is frightening to think that consumers may interpret your brand in their own very subjective manner, but at the same time, this realisation should also be seen as an opportunity to re-discover the various (and often unexpected) meanings attached to your brand, adapt your communications accordingly, and ultimately reap the rewards of becoming a business who truly knows their audience.
So how do you discover how your customers make sense of your brand?
In short, you ask them.
Qualitative research, principally involving focus group discussions and in-depth interviews, can be an extremely useful strategic tool for businesses of all sizes. Research is vital, and here are a few reasons why:
• Provides a forum to explore and extrapolate ideas, which can act as an effective springboard to make your visions a reality.
• Enables you to drill down and understand the specific needs of your different market segments, providing a creative environment for consumer optimisation.
• Enables you to fully understand reactions to your marketing materials and packaging; identifying strengths, weaknesses, and uncovering any previously unmet needs of your customers.
• Helps you make informed business and marketing decisions, with confidence.
• Protects you from completely ‘missing the point’ with your brand communications, ensuring that you build a brand that strikes resonance with your target market.
Above all, it simply makes sense that a strong and current picture of your consumers’ mindset should underpin the strategic and creative process of building and maintaining a brand. You wouldn’t create a gourmet meal with your eyes closed would you? Well, you might try, but you would probably end up getting burnt.
Read MoreLoyalty and Dedication: The Priceless Commodity?
Brand and customer loyalty has been a hot topic for the past few decades. Since American Airlines started its first “Frequent Flyer Miles” program in the 80s, companies and brands all over the world have been coming up with new and interesting ways to capture attention and reward their faithful consumers for buying their products or using their services.
Traditionally these would come in the form of a barcode card, key fob or printed coupons. These schemes offer a combination of rewards and recognition, in order to drive up sales and customer retention rates. Credit card companies are notorious for their offers, with the majority now handing out flight miles, cash back, credit points and prizes if someone makes a purchase on the card. Through this, the idea is that they are helping the customer to stretch their budget that little bit further and keep them coming back for more.
Despite this, almost half of people still do not participate in these loyalty programs. And only half of those again are actively using them. So why is that? Could it be that most reward schemes come down to only one thing: freebies? As the concept has gained popularity over the last couple of decades it’s easy to see how it can be a double edged sword.
The problem is that it’s possible to get it wrong. While offering free stuff to customers the more they buy, an aggressive campaign could feel almost like a bribe, whereas a complicated system with different tiers and structures can only serve to confuse and confound the customer. Take Starbucks as an example:
My Starbucks Rewards
Last year, Starbucks introduced a Gold membership card. A customer could pay $25 dollars for a year membership, and in return they would get 10% off their purchases every time they went into Starbucks. For hardcore coffee drinkers this could equal some serious savings. The card would pay for itself in a matter of a month or two (or even a few weeks if you were a serious caffeine addict).
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